Dear FlyLady,

DH and I sat down and went over our finances. Fun fun. We were always cutting it close, money was gone the same day it came in, and there was never enough, it was sometimes even groceries or bills. Not both. Well, we figured we were going to the grocery store three or four times per month, spending about $200-$300 each time. I know, that’s crazy. We figured we spent about $800 (give or take a few) per month on groceries, usually, and we were throwing away SO much food. Whole roasts that were “cooked to make sandwiches” but then something better was there. Leftovers saved because someone MIGHT eat them. Ugh, so sad. So much waste.

There was a time in my life when I was a young girl, with a baby and a “man” who didn’t care if we had food or not, not only did we not have food, sometimes we didn’t have power to use the stove to cook any bit of food we might have had. I remember eating a raw potato once, because I was so hungry and I had to eat since I was breastfeeding my little one. You would think this alone would have made me appreciate what I have, and not waste, but I think it did the opposite. I was almost hoarding food. I would buy and buy and buy until the fridge wouldn’t close, the cupboards were full, and the freezers would barely close. Food would rot, and be thrown away, which was basically like throwing money away. I know I would never throw money in the garbage, why would I ever throw food in the garbage?

About one month ago I began making meal plans, shopping lists, reading sale flyers and just aware of what we eat. DH pointed out today in this month we have saved…get this…$450. That is almost a rent payment. Amazing.

For so long when you posted about menu plans, I would scoff and say “that doesn’t work for our family” In all honesty, I didn’t want it to work. I was content in wasting money we barely had. It made me feel safe, I think. Not anymore. I have the menu plan up posted, the kids know what we’re having, there’s little to no waste, and if there are leftovers, I try to work them in to a stew or soup to freeze, or take to my elderly bachelor father in law.

I feel so good about our financial situation now. I am expecting a large increase in my income in the next month, so with the money we save, and my income we should be right on track, instead of throwing more money in the garbage can.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, FlyLady. You may have just saved my family.

FlyBaby H.

FlyLady here: My grandmother told me many years ago that any food you threw into the trash was like tossing dollar bills into the garbage.

You can save lots of money with just 5 minutes of planning. In our Control Journal we have a whole section for Menu Planning. With a calendar and a little planning you can save money too. Menu Planning is our habit for November. Let’s get jump start and see how much money we can save before we start spending it on the holidays. Make the commitment to eat out of your freezer and pantries this week and next month. These savings could be just like a Christmas Club account. You can have fun with this. Are you with me?

Your calendar is a great tool to help you menu plan! Today is Wednesday! Clean out your refrigerator and make surprise chicken! Plan your menus for the next few days from your freezer and pantry! This is a great way to save money! Use Post-It Notes sticky tops to make this easy. You can just move it a few weeks down the calendar!